War of the Hearts
by BlackPhantom247
Summary: Some say that for humanity, the storm passed with the Covenants destruction. But little do they know, a new and far more powerful enemy has been lurking in the shadows, and is ready to strike. Halo and Kingdom Hearts AU. OC X multiple. Reviews are welcome.
1. Chapter 1

**I now present my fourth official story: The War of the Hearts. And with that, I will not start anymore until one of my current ones is finished.**

**I own nothing except for my OC Samantha-247. Logan-326 belongs to my beta reader Spartan-626.**

**And now, without further ado, hope you enjoy.**

"Remind me again, why we're doing this."

The Marine's two companions groaned in annoyance as that question was asked for literally the thousandth time, the lone female of the trio responding as they traveled through the corridors of the UNSC Lancaster. "For the last time Ryan, the engine room has been silent since we were pulled out of slipspace. The captain suspects equipment failure, but he wants us to investigate just in case. So shut the hell up!"

"Okay, okay. Geez Liz, no need to be such a bitch."

"Fuck you, man!"

As the two marines began cussing each other out, their companion was trying to get their attention. "Guys."

Getting no response, he tried again. "Guys."

Still getting no response, he tried once more, with great annoyance. "HEY, GUYS!"

This did the trick as Liz turned towards him to respond. "What is it, Matt?!"

"We're here."

True to his word, the trio had arrived at a grayish security door leading to the engine room. The two bickering marines stood there with embarrassed looks as Matt punched the access code into a keypad beside the door. As it opened up, the marines entered to find the familiar blue glow of the slipspace reactor washing over multiple sets of surprisingly intact terminals lining the wall along with the multiple suspension bridges extending throughout the area and encircling the reactor. In fact, they could not find a single indicator of sabotage. The only thing out of the ordinary being the lack of engineers or anyone for that matter. This resulted with the marines growing more and more cautious as they searched the area, Ryan being the first to voice his discomfort. "This is beginning to creep me out."

Matt quickly responded to that statement. "I know, there isn't a single living being in sight."

Liz then added her two cents into the conversation. "Alright, cut the chit-chat and keep searching. I'll notify the captain."

"Hold on! I think I found something!"

The marines quickly converged on Matt's position, and found the strangest creatures they've ever seen.

The little guy's entire body was a pitch black color except for a pair of large yellow eyes that were cartoonishly circular. Its feet were composed of edges that gave the impression of a weird shoe. It also possessed two appendages that extended into menacing three-fingered claws. And as a final addition, two antennas dotted its rounded head. It's attention was directed at the three marines who were busy discussing how to handle the uninvited guest, Ryan being the first to speak. "Unless you guys have any better ideas, I say we just kill that thing and be done with it."

"I agree. The risk in leaving it alone is too great. Especially with the Covenant Remnants rampaging through this corner of the galaxy."

"Hold on a second, Liz. Did you just agree with me?"

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

"Uh-huh, sure."

Just then, Matt decided to speak as he slowly made his way towards it. "Now that I think of it, this little guy's kind cute, in a freaky sort of way." Then as he got close enough, he knelt in front of the creature and spoke once more. "Hey there, little guy. Are you lost? You must be lost."

"Um Matt, can it even understand you?"

"Honestly, Liz, I have no id-"

Before he could finish speaking, the creature plunged its claw into his chest and ripped his heart out without even leaving a mess. The remaining marines just stood there, frozen in shock as it then crushed the still beating heart in its grasp. This resulted in his body dissolving into black mist that formed into an identical copy of the creature. Then more and more of them started appearing everywhere and rushed at the duo, prompting them to raise their assault rifles and opened fire on the horde, downing dozens in the initial barrage but their efforts proved to be futile as they were quickly overwhelmed, soon suffering the same fate as their comrade.

It was in that moment, as the two marines disappeared into black mist, that a portal appeared. And from it, a mysterious being emerged wearing a black robe and a hood that obscured its face. As the portal vanished and more creatures of various forms ranging from armored imps to floating witch-like creatures surrounded it, the figure strode towards where the two marines fell. Then, with a wave of its hand, the leftover mist suddenly merged and formed two identical humanoid figures of pure shadow, each possessed the same yellow soulless eyes and a jet-black rifle of unusual design.

Seeing that his work was complete, the figure spoke with a deep, resonating voice. "Search every corner of the ship. Find the new Keyblade Weilder, and bring him to me alive, and unspoiled. Dispose of anyone that gets in your way."

The two creatures nodded in response and departed from the engine room, the horde of other creatures quickly following. As the last one disappeared through the door, the figure turned around, summoned another portal that it went through, and disappeared himself.

The sound of gunfire reverberated throughout the ship's range as Spartan Logan-326 let loose with a deadly volley of bullets from the assault rifle in his grasp upon the unfortunate targets downrange. He currently wore his black Achilles-Variant MJOLNIR Armor without the helmet, displaying his slightly pale face and short-trimmed brunette hair and beard. After three minutes of target practice, the buzzer sounded, signaling the session's conclusion. With that, he glanced at a nearby panel, and was disappointed with the score presented.

Sure, 93 % accuracy was impressive, but it was not enough. He could not afford any mistakes, not after what happened during the war. That memory caused Logan to place an armored hand on the scar that ran across his right eye and cheek. The memory was still fresh in his mind, when that damn zealot took him from behind as his attention was on a trio of Jackals. When its energy sword pierced his helmet and sliced his face. And finally, when he pinned the bastard down and used his war axe and hacked away until all that was left was scraps of flesh. His trip down memory lane was interrupted by a lone attendant. "Is everything alright, sir?"

Logan turned his attention towards the attendant, a short, stocky man with blond hair, before nodding his head and responding. "Yes, everything's fine. I'm finished here."

With that, he handed the rifle back to the attendant, who accepted it with a nod. "Very well, sir. I shall-"

Before he could finish speaking, a loud explosion rocked the ship, causing the little man to drop the rifle and jump with a shriek, landing in the Spartan's arms bridal style. This elicited a growl of annoyance from the Spartan, to which the attendant gave a nervous chuckle before getting back down and speaking. "Sorry about that, sir."

Before Logan could respond, the sound of gunfire could suddenly be heard through the door. This prompted the Spartan to grab the now fallen rifle and slowly make his way towards the sound. But all of a sudden, the door was blown off, the impact knocking him off his feet. Just then, bullets zipped trhough the opening and ripped through the poor attendants torso, killing him instantly. Due to his Spartan physiology, Logan managed to recover from the impact in time to raise his arm in order to block a set of metal talons, courtesy of an impish creature with soulless yellow eyes, and a disproportionate suit of armor. But the armor could not protect it, as evidenced by how quickly the helmet caved under Logan's fist, though instead of crushing its head, it exploded in a brief burst of light, leaving no remains. While this took him by surprise, he understood that there were bound to be more hostiles, and with that, went to retrieve his gear. His helmet and axe were easy enough to find, the crest of the helmet unmistakable as it sat on the still intact table. The axe on the other hand, was tossed to the floor from the blast, but thankfully still intact.

The gray metal shaft extending for three feet before connecting to a silver axe blade lined with Nordic runes similar to the ones on his armor. As he quickly put on his helmet, enabling the HUD's activation and integration, he quickly grabbed his axe and place it on the back mag-lock. He then proceeded towards the armory, which happened to be right next door, and retrieved a Magnum Pistol and case-less sub-machine gun. Now properly equipped, he brought out his prized possession, a charm in the shape of a wolf's head with Celtic knot patterns, in his pre-battle ritual.

Placing the charm between his index finger and thumb, he then brought it to his forehead and steadied his breathing as he recited his mantra. "Where wolf's ears are, wolf's teeth are near. And where wolf's teeth are, death will soon follow."

With that, he stored the charm once more and glanced at his HUD tracker and discovered three contacts of unknown identification just outside the door. Instantly assuming that they were more of the hostiles, he drew out his axe and charged through the door, his assumptions proving as soon as the door opened, because he tackled another one of the armored creatures and killed it with a single chop to head. Then as he pulled it back out, he launched himself backwards as a ball of blue energy sailed towards his recent position, then covering the area in...ice? "Well that's new."

His confusion was short-lived as another blast hit his left arm, encasing it in ice and drawing his attention towards the perpetrators. They took on the appearance of witches, who were in blue garb, were the size of his arm, and possessed the same pitch-black and soulless yellow eyes as their kin. But instead of dwelling on it, Logan simply broke off the ice and disposed of them with precise shots from the Magnum.

With the present threat dealt with, the Spartan III attempted to establish contact with anyone he could in order to find out what was happening. "This is Logan-326 to any UNSC forces. Please respond."

A burst of static greeted him as a feminine voice responded. "Logan? Thank God you're alive."

"Any idea what's going on Sam?"

"Hell if I know! These fuckers just popped out of nowhere. Tried getting to the armory, but I'm pinned down. Bastards have got long range support."

"What's your location?"

"Section 4, Deck 20."

"Alright, I'm on my way. Just hang in there."

He then cut the comm and proceeded to the specified location. Soon enough, he encountered even more of the creatures, but these were of different variants. Several witch-things of a red-orange and black color scheme swarmed alongside a single creature about the size of a brute, with some sort of red and blue and ridiculously large body. Facing them was a lone marine who was blasting away at the witches with a shotgun while skillfully avoiding their return fire. Literally, they seemed to have an elemental thing going.

The Spartan III quickly drew out an SMG and opened fire on the large creature, but all it seemed to do was gain its attention as the bullets simply bounced off it. Realizing that his attempts were futile, Logan reloaded his SMG, switched it out for his axe, and charged, the Large Body responding in kind. Upon closing the distance, he swung his axe with the intention of carving through its chest, only to have it bounce off and throw the Spartan off balance, leaving him vulnerable to a counterattack that sent him crashing into a wall. But before the Large Body could capitalize on it, several shotgun blasts tore into its back, killing it instantly.

Upon regaining his bearings, Logan directed his attention towards the marine who now stood before him. She possessed short, messy blond hair with light skin, a confident, almost cocky smile, and a figure that would drive quite a few men crazy with desire. But Logan was not one of them, as shown by his calm and short reply. "I appreciate the assistance."

The marine smiled at him before responding. "Aw, it was nothing." She then saluted him before continuing. "Private Leone Wagner, 'Night Raid' Squad, reporting for duty."

Ah, the famous Night Raid. They became well known during the Human-Covenant War for taking on search-and-destroy missions, eventually becoming Lord Hood's go-to choice for assassinations, eliminating several Covenant leaders from military commanders to minor prophets. The squad consisted of the private and several other individuals, which reminded him, "Where's the rest of your unit?"

Leone frown before answering. "I have no idea. The captain ordered us to deal with a problem in the hangar, but we got separated en route."

"Do you know what the situation is over there?"

"All I know is that a big guy has been spotted over there. It could be the source of this attack, so the cap's wanting it dead yesterday."

Just then, gunfire drew the duo's attention to two other creatures taking on a form similar to UNSC marines who opened fire on their position. This prompted the Spartan III to place himself in front of Leone, shielding her from harm as the hail of bullets pinged off his shields. Then, the Spartan brought out the Magnum and emptied the entire clip into the two assailants, killing them. But as they fell to the ground, he heard a small sigh coming from Leone, which drew his attention to the marine who, despite the body armor, pressed her considerable assets into his back with a seductive smirk on her face. "I always wanted a big, strong man to protect me."

Fortunately for Logan, his helmet successfully hid the small blush that formed on his face as he responded. "Now's not the time. We gotta get moving."

"Well then, lead the way hot stuff."

With that, the duo proceeded through the corridors of the ship, soon encountering Logan's long time partner and closest friend, Samantha-247 as they reached the hangar. The navy-blue scout armor was easily recognizable as the female Spartan was thrown through the door and into the wall, creating a large dent, before getting back up. "Damn, that Skurysyn packs a punch." She then turned her attention to the new arrivals. "Logan, about time you showed up."

Logan, in response, brought out his axe and spoke. "What do I need to kill?"

Samantha merely gestured to her left and responded, "See for yourself."

She then dashed off in the same direction, drawing Logan's attention towards the largest creature he'd encountered so far. The beast towered over the area and possessed menacing sets of three claws on each hand. It's body was roughly humanoid in appearance, but its head looked like a Medusa ripoff. Most unnerving was the gaping hole in its chest, taking the shape of a heart, as if the creature was some sort of heartless. Heartless...for some reason the name actually seemed to fit, heart-shaped hole aside.

But now was not the time for speculation, as Leone demonstrated by charging into the fray, shotgun blazing, as the giant summoned another wave of lesser Heartless who threw themselves at the Marines that stood against them.

Logan brought out his axe, and with a deep roar, charged into the horde, soon plunging into their ranks and hacking away. This, combined with the Marines withering fire, provided devastating results as the lesser Heartless started bursting into mist faster than the giant was making them. But, as the Spartan cleaved through another Heartless torso, an unseen force tackled him from behind and brought him to the ground, soon after revealing itself to be another marine-esque Heartless.

Although the attack did not damage his armor, the chaotic noise of battle died out as he felt himself be overcome by rage. This bastard caught him off guard, and it pissed him off to no end. So with a bellow of rage, he swung his left fist, intent on bashing its head in. But instead of hearing a sickening crunch, a bright flash of light greeted his vision, which faded just as quickly to reveal his hand coated in some for of coding. But before he could even register what happened, the coding dispersed to reveal a massive sword. The new weapon took on a crude design similar to a key, with the blade lined with blocky indents on both sides and a black and red handle at the end with twin cross guards that encircled his wrist.

Deciding to test it out, he swung it at a charging Heartless, and cleaved through it with ease. Then, with a shrug, he brought his attention to the giant once more, realizing what needed to be done as it summoned more lesser Heartless. "To defeat the pack, take out the alpha."

As if fate itself was on his side, a lone scorpion tank swiveled its gun towards the massive heartless and fired, the impact of the shot forcing it to its knees. This provided him with the perfect opportunity to strike, so not bothering to question good fortune, he jumped onto a random heartless and used it as a boost to launch himself toward the behemoth. Then, as the chaos continued below him, time slowed to a crawl as he swung the new blade and his axe, aiming at its head. But as the two weapons made contact his surroundings suddenly faded to white.

**Well, there you have it. I admit it is not my best work, so if you have any questions, leave a review or PM me.**

**Once again, I own nothing except my OC.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone, I'm back with another chap. I hope it does not disappoint. Let me know what you think.**

**I hoped I'd get to explain things in this chap, but due to length and time, that will be next chap.**

**R and R. I own nothing except Ocs, though Logan belongs to Spartan-626.**

Pain.

That should've been all he felt as death quickly overtook him, but all Logan felt was a numbness that quickly faded, reminding him that he was very much alive.

As his senses slowly returned, the Spartan-III opened his eyes to find himself in a vast expanse of white without even a piece of debris or a floor obstructing his view. The first thought to cross his mind was that death had finally caught him, the previous fighting through the Lancaster being a near-death hallucination. He was brought out of his musings by a semi-deep voice that commanded respect, but also carried a grandfatherly tone. "Whatever your thoughts on this, I can assure you that you are not dead."

Logan then looked around in confusion as he could not see anyone else. "Alright, who's there?"

After a few moments, the presence let out a chuckle of amusement as he responded. "I understand your confusion, but I'm afraid there's not much time. Just know tha friend."

Slightly irritated by his vague answer, the Spartan spoke once more. "Then why do you not show yourself?"

"I'm afraid circumstances have prevented complete astral communication."

Astral...what? Logan was getting more and more irritated as more questions popped up with absolutely no answers whatsoever, and he let his irritation show. "What are you talking about? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

"Patience Logan, you will receive your answers soon. But I'm afraid that time runs short. Lead your enemies to the planet's surface. We'll handle the rest."

Before Logan could inquire as to what this guy meant, a bright flash of light overwhelmed his vision once more, eventually fading to reveal the Lancaster's hanger. And gazing over his prone form was a visibly relieved Samantha, who then spoke as the ship's klaxons blared continuously. "Thank god you're alright, I was getting worried."

Finally regaining control of his sense, logan let a smirk form as he spoke in a teasing manner. "Aw Sam, you do care.'

The female Spartan gave him a deadpan look as she hoisted him up. "Now's not the time. There's still plenty of these shadowy dranie to take care of."

Logan nodded in understanding as he put his helmet back on, making a mental note to take care of the chips on the helmet's crest, along with the rest of his armor. Upon hearing the familiar his of the MJOLNIR armor pressurizing, he turned towards a nearby ODST Sargent. The woman had her helmet underneath her right arm which appeared to be cybernetic, not common sight, but not rare either. Her silver hair, on the other hand, was shocking consider her young face framing her silver eyes, her right eye being covered by a dark green eye patch. Upon noticing the Spartan, she gave a sharp salute before speaking. "Gunnery Sargent Najenda Kayoko reporting sir!"

The Spartan quickly returned the Salute before making an inquiry. "At ease, Sargent. Do you have any idea who's the CO of this clusterfuck?"

"That'd be you Lieutenant. Major Owens got swatted by the big guy before you took him out."

"Alright then, get everyone ready. We're taking this ship back."

As if the universe decided to flip him the bird, the ship's intercom flared to life with an automated voice as the alarm klaxons continued blaring with renewed intensity. "Alert. Self-destruct sequence engaged. T-minus four minutes til self-destruct. All hands evacuate."

This sudden development took the human survivors by surprise, the Spartans in particular fearing the worst. They quickly sprung into action as three Marines were hit by a hail of yellow bolts, sending deadly amounts of voltage through their now lifeless corpses, causing uncontrollable spasms. The rest of the armed personnel opened fire at the main hallway where out from it pour numerous yellow witch creatures and imps, both armored and unarmored. And in the center of the horde was a massive humanoid shadow comparable to a Covenant Hunter in height. It's massive bulk forced it to sacrifice speed as proven by it's slow, lumbering footsteps as it effortlessly endured the onslaught of dozens of UNSC weapons.

Logan felt a bit of unease as the juggernaut suddenly halted, uncaring of the bullets that turned it's comrades into mincemeat. Instead, it raised its right arm at the humans, the limb morphing into a multi-barreled Gatling gun, prompting a quick response from Logan. "Get down!"

The order came too late as the behemoth's weapon let loose with a barrage of black bolt that tore through the armor of a dozen Marines and five ODSTs with laughable ease. As the volley ceased as quickly as it started, Logan quickly primed a frag grenade and threw it in the hostiles direction, and to his surprise not a single one of them bothered to dodge as it detonated. The shrapnel from the blast tore through a half dozen of the armored imps but merely got the big guy's attention. It merely gave him a gold stare that would've sent lesser men running in terror.

But he was a Spartan. Where others would run, he merely drew his ax and key weapon and prepared to charge. But he stopped in his tracks when the giants weapon limb morphed into a single massive barrel which caused Logan to sweat-drop. "Well sh-"

He didn't get to finish as he was hit by a blast from its cannon that sent him crashing into a nearby Warthog, the impact damaging it beyond repair and shattering the MJOLNIR shields. Upon coming to a halt, Logan slowly got back onto his feet as alarm klaxons rang in his helmet. Due to the pain equivalent to a blow from a Hunter's shield, he barely reacted in time to dispose of a trio of unarmored Imps when the giant prepared to fire once more, only to finally fall under a hail of rockets and .60 cal bullets. The source of the Spartan's salvation was the familiar faces of Leone and Sam with a rocket launcher and sniper respectively the latter of the two beckoning him over to an open Pelican on the verge of taking off alongside three others that were already closed up. "Come on Logan! We got to get the hell out of here!"

He received further encouragement when the ships intercom blared once more. "T-minus 30 seconds."

Needing no further encouragement, Logan made a wild dash towards the Pelican, grabbing an MD40 Shotgun and what shells he could as he did so. Managing to reach the Pelican as it lifted off the ground, he made his way to the cockpit and urged the pilot to start moving. "Punch it!"

The pilot gave her affirmation before throwing the throttle. "You got it, luv."

With that, the Pelican shot out of the hanger, engines belching out jets of flame as the craft entered the dark void. Mere moments later, the view-port suddenly polarized as orange light enveloped the transport and those beside it, signaling that the ship had indeed imploded and created a short-lived star. The sight that greeted the cockpit's occupants as the light faded out, however, left them in shock. A massive planetoid stood in front of them, almost encompassing the entire view-port, but most surprising was the machinery encompassing it, almost as if it was merely a massive station. Logan was the first to recover from his shock, getting a sense of familiarity from the designs. Could it be Forerunner? What little information he obtained on them seemed to support that theory, but he could not say fro certain. He was brought out of his musings by the pilot. "Um, sir? Something's going on with the flippin' comms.'

True to her word, static filled the cockpit for a few seconds before a semi-deep voice began speaking. "Do not panic, Reclaimers. I will be merely guiding you to a suitable landing site. Head to the specified coordinates inside the shield world. I will guide you from there."

With that, the line cut off, leaving continuous static and a confused who absentmindedly brushed a few strands of brown hair back under her helmet before speaking. "What did that bloke mean by 'inside' the planet?"

As if in response to her question, a massive section of the planet split into numerous symmetrical pieces and opened up, the bright light behind it almost inviting. And despite the shit-ton of questions and suspicions he had, Logan decided to accept. "Alright pilot, notify the others and then take us in."

With a bit of skepticism, she acknowledged the order and set the course. Meanwhile, Logan made his way back to the troop bay, only to be ambushed by Leone who furiously clung to him and began to sob dramatically. "Oh Logan, thank goodness you're alright! I don't know what I'd do if I lost you!"

The Spartan-III shook his head in exasperation at the ODST's behavior. "One, we barely know each other. Two, I've survived much worse. Three, could you let go of me?"

Leone merely gave him a seductive look in response. "Well, maybe we can find a place to 'get to know each other.' How does that sound?"

With that question, she removed the Spartan's helmet, much to his annoyance as a visible scowl formed on his face with his response. "How about you just sit DOWN!"

At the last word, he threw the blonde ODST into a nearby seat, earning a pout from her as Logan went to sit down himself, placing his helmet to the side as Samantha slid next to him with a cheeky grin on her face. "So, you catch the pilot's name?"

Logan raised an eyebrow in confusion at this question before turning to face her. "No, why?"

He was met with an indifferent shrug. "I don't know, she seemed cute."

Logan sweat-dropped at that answer. "Now is seriously not the time for such things. Besides, I didn't know you swung that way."

"Alright, fair enough. And I actually swing both ways. But that's beside the point. Look Logan, I'm just trying to keep a positive outlook on things, maybe you could do the same."

Logan gave off a tired sigh before slumping in his seat and responding. "How can I do so when this could be the prelude of another Human-Covenant War?"

Her answer came as a chuckle before she spoke. "Well, for starters, you could try not to be so glum."

Sensing no reaction from her friend, she placed an armored gauntlet on his shoulder, and spoke in a more serious tone. "All joking aside, if what you say is true, and this is the start of a new war, then worrying about it to this extent is not going to help morale. At least wait until we've figured out what the hell's going on."

Logan then nodded in understanding, realizing that she had a point. "You're right, it is best to keep a level head."

Relieved at this answer, she gave his shoulder a pat and spoke. "That's what I like to hear.'

The rest of the flight was relatively uneventful save for a green-haired ODST name Lubbock getting his balls smashed by Logan for 'checking out' Leone, resulting in the blonde further desiring him. And later on, Samantha noticed the lone medic on the Pelican, a light blonde that she did not know the name of, stealing glances at her friend. And judging from the subtle blush on her face, Samantha reasoned that Leone might have some competition. As she made a mental note to compile a list for any future additions, the Pelican shook for a brief moment before the bay door opened up. And standing before it were two individuals.

One, an older man dressed in blue sorcerer robes (don't ask, don't tell) and a bearded face that showed wisdom beyond his years.

The other, a short, bulky, yet sleek robot with two huge eyes on a black screen, and bulky hands which it waved in greeting. "Greetings, humans. I'm-"

Before it could finish speaking in its surprisingly squeaky voice, a silver orb with one turquoise bulb for an eye appeared out of nowhere and fired some sort of laser at it all while shouting angrily, "CONFOUNDED ANCILA, YOU BROKE THE TELEPORTATION GRID!"

At this declaration, the bot let out a shriek similar to a grunt and flew in terror, with the orb in pursuit. This caused the man to sigh in mild annoyance before speaking. "I apologize for that, but as of now, I wish to welcome you to this world. I am Master Yen Sid, and I have been waiting for you, Logan Fenris."

**R and R. I own nothing except Ocs, though Logan belongs to Spartan-626.**

**Constructive criticism is always appreciated.**

**If you have any questions please either review or PM me. Thank you.**


	3. Chapter 3

**_**Hello dear readers. I present to you another chapter of War of the Hearts which I hope is to your satisfaction.**_**

**_**As always, leave a review Pls.**_**

**_**I own nothing except Samantha and Eternal Vigilance**_**

**_**My beta Spartan-626 owns Logan.**_**

**_**Everything else belong to their respective owners.**_**

Logan stood at the base of the Pelican's ramp, dozens of questions filling his mind without a single answer. Here stood this old man in an outfit fit for a Medieval convention claiming to know who he was. And his calm attitude was getting on Logan's nerves and he let his frustration show. "Alright then Yen Sid, a lot of shit has happened the past few hours." He began to take a few steps towards the elder human as he continued speaking, "A hostile force shows up out of nowhere. Most of the crew, good men and women, have been slaughtered. And our ship has been destroyed." The Spartan stopped just a few feet in front of Yen Sid before gesturing to the Pelican and its occupants, "I think I speak for the survivors when I ask, just what the hell is going on?!"

Yen Sid gave off a melancholic sigh as he responded. "You frustration is understandable, for you and your companions have indeed been through much. But if you all will come with me, you will have the answers you seek."

The old man then turned around and departed, the Spartan along with the rest of the Pelican's occupants following close behind. Shortly after they began traveling, the party ended up encountering a massive ravine dropping down to a wide river that ran along the ravine's path. The symmetrical shape and form of the alloys on both side led them to assume that it was some kind of bridge. Their assumption was proven correct when Yen Sid place his hand on some sort of access panel, activating a cyan-colored hard-light bridge spanning the ravine. After a brief moment of hesitation, the various UNSC personnel stepped onto the bridge, following their guide across the expanse and granting them a breathtaking view.

To their left, the ravine opened up to a vast expanse of forest that stretched on for as far as the eye could see. The sun hung high in the sky, its light reflecting off the canopy, the resulting glow adding to the beauty.

To their right, a range of mountains continued beyond the horizon in opposite directions. The trail suddenly took a sharp turn, leading the party through the mountains until they passed through and encountered something that caught them off guard.

Settled across a grassy plain was a large cluster of buildings populated by humans. But what shocked them was that the buildings design was the simple, uniform gray of the UNSC. As most of the party was at a loss for words, one of the Marines, a medic known as Corporal Angela Zeilger, voiced their confusion. "H-how is this possible?"

Yen Side chuckled at this as he responded. "As your war against the Covenant raged, refugees from numerous worlds were cut off from your UNSC. With nowhere to go, they eventually found their way here, where I offered them safe haven. The crew of you ship are currently among them."

That last statement caused Logan to stop in his tracks, shock evident on his face as he gave his response. "That's not possible! Only a handful of us managed to flee the _Zancaster. _And no one could've survived the ship's self-destruct!"

"You are correct Reclaimer. But they were nowhere near the ship when it imploded."

Logan and the others then turned to the source of the voice to find the floating orb, the glow from its turquoise bulb softer than before, indicating its friendly intentions. "Greetings, I am 247-Eternal Vigilance. I am the monitor of the Shield World Disney." The monitor then direct it's attention towards Yen Sid as it continued speaking. "And before you ask, the name was his idea."

Sweatdrops met that statement as a few ODSTs facepalmed and Samantha spoke. "Seriously? You name, but spelled backwards?"

The man in question sighed in mild frustration at this. "Will I ever live that down?"

Despite what the others thought of the planet's name, Logan sought to clarify something with the monitor. "Hold on, what do you mean 'they were nowhere near the ship?'"

"Well Reclaimer, I was able to utilize the planet's teleportation grid to evacuate 80% of your ship's crew and ground contingent. Yourselves and those that escaped comprised 5%, while the other 15% were killed in the fighting."

Thought the Spartan was surprised at the statement, he sighed with visible relief on his face, knowing that casualties were less than what he feared. But moments later, Lubbock got in front of him and ranted at the monitor, multiple veins popping out of his head. "THEN WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU DO THE SAME FOR US?!"

The Monitor's response was to ram itself into his chest, knocking the ODST flat on his back and leaving him in pain with a sizable dent in his armor. With the annoyance dealt with, the monitor gave his answer. "To answer that question, the ancilla you encountered earlier somehow managed to damage the grid in a fit of clumsiness. So I could not take the risk lest you end up as disgusting piles of flesh and bone."

The others could not deny such reasoning, but Yen Sid grew curious about one detail. "Vigilance, where is Pyoro at the moment?"

The monitor turned towards the town before answering with a mischievous tone. "Oh he's still...hanging around."

True to this word, in the middle of the town where a flagpole stood flying the UNSC banner, also hanging from it was the same little robot from before. Although, the little guy was futilely flailing about due to being glued to the post, drawing a few chuckles from the ODSTs and a sigh from Yen Si. 'I assume you are here for a reason other than your personal 'exploits.'"

"Why yes, of course. I've come to report that the construction drones have partially repaired the teleportation grid. So you are able to use it to travel relatively short distance without trouble."

A shorter ODST that still had his helmet on then launched an inquiry. "So does this mean we won't have to walk anymore?"

This prompted a response from Leone who spoke with amusement in her voice. "Seriously Tatsumi? Traveling across long distance on foot is part of basic training you wimp."

The trooper now identified as Tatsumi stepped back in embarrassment. But moments later, each individual was engulfed in pillars of light. This led to a sudden change of scenery as the light dissipated. Instead of the grassy plains from before, they found themselves inside a round, spacious, white room ceiling formed a dome at the top and a ring of seats lined the walls with two doors at opposite ends. And in the center was a single pedestal with a white glowing orb on top. Surounding it were the UNSC members in various states of disorientation. In particular, Tatsumi stumbled around like a drunk and Lubbock's face was as green as his hair. Only the two Spartans remained unaffected as Eternal Vigilance hovered above them and spoke with a smug tone. "Does that answer your question?"

Yen Side sighed in indignation at the monitor's antics before responding. "Was that really necessary?"

"Not really, no."

Before a response could be made, Logan took the opportunity to interject. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but will we be getting an explanation now?"

Yen Sid nodded in understanding before he responded. "But of course. Although you may want to take a seat. For we have much to cover."

Taking his advice, each of the humans sat down on one of the many chairs, but not before Vigilance 'borrowed' the Spartans respective armors, much to their protests and the viewing pleasure of most of the others in the group.

Their bodysuits didn't leave much to the imagination.

Moments later, the room suddenly dimmed as the pedestal emitted a holographic map of the wider galaxy. At this moment, Yed Sid began to speak. "In order for you to understand the full scope of this conflict I must start at the beginning, over 100,000 years ago."

The screen then switched to two separate figures.

One was humanoid in form and possessed pale skin with two slits replacing the nose. It also possessed silver armor with orange lining.

The second figure was a human male with dark skin, raven hair, and silver armor lined with dark blue. "Around this time, the galaxy was dominated by two separate races: The Forerunners, and Humanity."

This revelation caught everyone by surprise. Humans were space faring millennia before the ancient Egyptians? Just what the hell happened to make them technologically regress so far? Before they could think about it for long, the hologram switched back to the map, only this time, parts of it were color-coded orange and blue. "It was also at this time that a major threat emerged, known as the Flood."

This new detail confused a few of them, Samantha in particular decided to speak up. "The Flood? Is that another name for the Heartless?"

"No but they are connected."

It was then, that the area in blue gean to rapidly shrink, replaced with a sickly green. "When the Flood began its war, Humanity bore the brunt of the assault, quickly pushing us back, consuming world after world despite our best efforts."

Then, the blue area started creeping into the area in orange, drawing a groan from Logan. "Don't tell me..."

"Yes, the decision was made to move into Forerunner territory. As expected, this caused tensions to rise between the two races. But this, in fact, is where I come in."

**_**I'll admit, I could not think of a better name for the shield world.**_**

**_**I apologize for the cliffhanger, but this felt like a good place to cut it. The next chapter will cover the rest, including how the Flood and Heartless are connected (spoilers: the Flood are only getting a cameo. Nothing more).**_**

**_**Major characters will also be revealed next chapter.**_**

**_**With that, I bid you farewell. Until next time.**_**


	4. Christmas Special

_****Here's a quick Christmas Special for you all. Hope you like it. Merry Christmas everyone.****_

The _Lancaster_'s mess hall bustled with the season's festivities. A couple of Marines had entered an eggnog drinking contest, gifts were being exchanged, even the captain had dressed up as Santa Claus. And in a booth along the edge, sat the ship's resident Spartans, both holding glasses of eggnog as Samantha spoke. "It's that time of year again. Where we get to finally relax and the Marines start screwing off far more than they usually do."

"Ha! Since when have they not been screwing around?"

"Fair enough." She then started snickering upon looking up. This caught Logan's attention, causing him to look up and find a batch of mistletoe hanging above him. Moments later, before he could even react, Leone tackled him to the ground and locked lips in a heated, one-side kiss. Upon needing to breath again, Leone broke the kiss before speaking with a seductive tone. "I don't suppose we could take this somewhere more...private?"

A blank stare and an unimpressed "No." was his answer.

With that, Logan threw her across the mess hall and into Bulat's outstretched arms. As Leone then pouted, he merely told her "Better luck next time."


	5. Chapter 5

**I deeply apologize for the massive delay in updating. My only excuse is writer's block.**

**Anyways, here are the origins of the Heartless threat in this story. I hope it doesn't disappoint.**

**I own nothing except Ocs, though main oc belongs to my beta Spartan-626.**

The dark of the void was broken by multiple swirls of blue as the human fleet exited slipspace, a single Forerunner colony in the distance was their destination. As the fleet traveled through the void, Fortencheu, the Lord of Admirals, overlooked the bridge of his flagship, a grim look on his face as one of the helmsman made a report. "Lord of Admirals, we are approaching the Forerunner planet."

"Show me."

With that one command, a hologram of the planet in question appeared in front of the Lord of Admirals, hands outstretched as he began scanning its surface.

At that moment a crew member monitoring visual scans reported in. "Preparing to enter high orbit above the planet. Forerunner ships are on alert and inbound."

Fortencheu made no effort to acknowledge this update, his attention focused solely on the hologram in front of him. As the moments passed, the scans revealed nothing leaving the Lord of Admirals to wonder, "Is it possible? Have we finally gotten ahead of it?"

His hopes were dashed when the systems suddenly turned red and alarm klaxons rang through the bridge, this development along with the crewman's report confirmed his fears. "Flood infestation detected, Milord."

"Damn it!"

His frustration was visible in his movements as the Lord of Admirals left his position at the head of the bridge. He then made his way towards a nearby terminal manned by a younger, lighter-skinned crew member, who brought up a new development. "My lord, the Flood appears to be in a remote locale. Perhaps if we warned the Forerunners?"

This caused the Lord of Admirals to grimace as he gave his answer. "If we warn them, we give the Flood time to spread."

"And if we don't warn them, we'll force ourselves into a two-front war, one which you know we could not possibly win."

At this statement, Fortencheu turned towards the source. He was a bearded man wearing long, flowing robes of blue, his piercing gaze leveled at the Lord of Admirals as he made his toward him. The Lord of Admirals grew slightly annoyed at him as he responded, "You know damn well we have no choice, Yen Sid."

"Actually we do. All you have to do is let me initiate contact with the Forerunners."

"Out of the question!"

Just then, a crew member manning the communications systems spoke up. "Milord! The Forerunner fleet is hailing us. They wish to know of our purpose here and are threatening to fire upon us if we don't respond."

Yen Sid grimaced at this before turning towards Fortencheu once more. "Well it seems we are pressed for time, so I suggest you make a choice and quickly."

The Lord of Admirals turned away in frustration at this, determined to commence the glassing process. But he suddenly hesitated, silently pondering the points Yen Sid brought up. But his ruminating was cut short when the tactical officer spoke up in an anxious tone. "My lord, the Forerunners are powering up their weapons!"

The passing seconds felt like an eternity as the increasing tension hung in the air. Yet despite this, the Lord of Admirals remained silent on the matter, forcing Yen Sid to speak once more. "We don't have time for hesitation, Fortencheu. We need an answer now!"

At that moment, Fortencheu grinded his teeth in frustration before giving a new set of orders to the comms officer. "Damn it all! Answer their hails!"

He then turned towards Yen Sid, leveling a glare at him before speaking. "Don't make me regret this."

XXXXX

A week had passed since the initial contact, and while the crisis had been averted, tensions still ran high as the representatives of both races discussed their plans for the parasitic threat. The tension hung thick in the air within the metallic-gray walls of the Forerunner diplomatic chamber. In the center of the room stood a holographic display showcasing what humanity found in regards to the Flood. And surrounding it were the six representatives in a tense silence broken only by the Librarian. 'So it is true. All this time, you were never expanding, you were running."

Yen Sid grimly nodded in response. "I'm afraid so."

The Master Builder scoffed at this statement before responding. "And upon encountering this parasite, you decided to take the role of exterminator and foolishly sought to deal with it yourselves."

This jab elicited a growl from the Lord of Admirals who then responded, "We had no choice on the matter. The Flood attacked us without warning and consumed every planet it's come across. We were forced to fight back."

Before the Master Builder could give a retort, the Didact intervened. "Regardless of what the humans have done, we now share the burden of this conflict. So we cannot afford to bring dissension."

The Master Builder scoffed in annoyance before giving a retort. "And yet these humans glassed an entire continent!"

He then turned his gaze towards the three human representatives, his glare hidden behind the visor as he continued speaking. "Maybe the Flood isn't all we should be worried about."

The Lord of Admirals grew furious at this blatant accusation, letting his thoughts on the matter be known. 'I would have you know that the glassing operation was necessary to eliminate the Flood infestation that threatened your world. Although, if I might be frank, were it not for Yen Sid's council, I would have glassed your entire planet!"

Before hostilities could escalate further, the chief scientist of the Human Empire, known as Ansem the Wise, decided to intervene. "ENOUGH! You two are acting like children! The events that have transpired are over and done with. And now we must pool our resources and combine our efforts if we are to stand a chance against the flood."

The Librarian quickly added her own input. "While you bring up a valid point, I doubt you have an effective means of combating the parasite."

Ansem gave off a tired sigh as he spoke once more. "Unfortunately no, my efforts to develop a cure have constantly been met with failure. But I have a theory that, while farfetched, might just work. But I will need your help to make it happen."

"Granted."

The Didact then brought his attention towards the Lord of Admirals. "In the meantime, I suggest we begin discussing how our armies can coordinate efforts."

After the lord of Admirals voiced his agreement, the Master Builder scoffed before voicing his thoughts. "Work with the humans if you wish. But mark my words, they will betray us when we least expect it."

With his declaration out of the way, the Master Builder stormed out of the chambers, leaving the others in an uncomfortable silence. It was only broken minutes later when Yen Sid spoke up. "I suppose the council is now adjourned."

With that, the representatives went their separate ways, completely unaware of a single individual who stood in the shadows, listening in on the talks.

XXXXX

Deep within the depths of the Garden world of Radience, the Chief Scientist Ansem rapidly typed into various monitors within the confines of his Laboratory. The librarian on the other hand, was examining a trio of vats filled with a golden-ish liquid, ruminating on the origin of this substance. Even she had to admit, the concept behind this seemed far too outlandish, for how could one harness the essence of a heart?

Nevertheless, her human colleague has remained obsessed with this endeavor. And much to her surprise, their combined efforts have brought results yet untested. She barely had the time to comprehend just how it was accomplished before Ansem brought her out of her musings. "There. I do believe we are ready for testing.'

The chief scientist then stood up and made his way towards a nearby monitor connected to the vats. He then typed in a set of commands, triggering a hissing noise which indicated a stable connection. With that, he then turned to the main terminal, the Librarian joining him before he typed in a few commands and spoke. "Releasing the first test subject."

It was at that moment, beyond the windows overlooking an enclosed area surround by massive doors, one of the doors on the leftward side opened up. And out from it, much to the Librarian's disgust, emerged a Flood combat form, the figure of what was once a human deformed by the infection. As the grotesque from lumbered around its new confinement, Ansem inputted a few more commands before speaking. "Initiating gas application test."

This triggered a loud hissing noise as the containment room below them filled with thick yellow clouds of the supposed cure. After a few minutes of waiting, the cloud eventually dispersed, revealing a surprising sight.

There was no trace of the Flood form that stood there before. In its place was a smallish creature possessing a pitch-black body with scrawny limbs and soulless yellow eyes. It was when three more of these creatures appeared that the Librarian spoke. "Was this supposed to be the result Ansem?"

"As a matter of fact, this worked exactly as planned."

The two scientists turned their attention towards the new voice, finding the Master Builder in front of the main entrance to the Lab. In his right hand was a 6 ft-long hardlight sword, and his left hand was wrapped around the neck of a guard which he promptly snapped before dropping him. Then, as even more of these creatures appeared at the Forerunner's side, Ansem overcame his shock and spoke with outrage in his voice. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Oh, nothing really." The Master Builder then began walking towards the duo. "I merely added my own ingredients to your little concoction. And now I have the means to exact my vengeance."

The Librarian then took the opportunity to speak. "What vengeance? What could possibly justify this betrayal?!"

Though his helmet concealed it, the Master Builder's disgust could be felt as he answered. "Have you forgotten? How dozens of planets burned under the Humans guns? How billions of our kind perished at their hands? I intend to avenge those deaths and ensure that the humans will not finish what they started!"

He then turned his attention towards Ansem, pointing his sword at the human scientist as he spoke. "Starting with you."

With that, three of the creatures lunged at him, only to fall in a hail of weapons fire. The Master Builder turned back towards the entrance where dozens of human Imperial Guards rushed through. Realizing he'd been discovered, the Master Builder sent the creatures against the guards as he went to kill Ansem. Only he found that while he was distracted he and the Librarian managed to get around him and towards the guard. The Master builder made to pursue, cutting down both his creatures and guardsmen in his rage-fueled pursuit. But despite his efforts, his prey managed to escape, sealing the doors behind them.

Enraged that he failed in his task, the Master Builder failed to notice that his sword was missing until it was sticking out of his chest. His soon-to-be killer turned out to be his mysterious associate. The black-hooded figure merely stood there for a few moments before speaking to the dying Forerrunner.

"Your services are no longer required."

**Again, I apologize for the delay. If you have any questions, leave a review or PM me.**

**Disclaimer is same as at top.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! I have arrived with another chapter to add to my upload streak. Thid COVID-19 lockdown has given me enough time to complete chaps like never before! But enough about me, I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

**I own nothing except my Ocs. Logan belongs to my beta Spartan-626.**

The entire room remained uncomfortably silent as Yen Sid finished recounting the events that led to the creation of the Heartless. The two Spartans sat impassive among the other visibly anxious humans until Samantha broke the silence. "I'm afraid I don't understand. If the Master Builder was not the mastermind of this betrayal, then who was?"

Yen Sid nodded at this, understanding her confusion. "Many years after those events, when the Flood were finally exterminated down to the last spore, we discovered the identity of the traitor to be Ansem's apprentice Xehanort. He sought to utilize the Heartless in order to conquer the universe and reforge it in his image."

Logan narrowed his eyes at this last statement as he scoffed. "So it's a classic 'trying to play God' scenario. Typical. And I suppose the Master Builder was little more than a scapegoat?"

"That is correct Logan Fenris. The Master Builder was a decoy meant to lead us on a pointless chase while Xehanort built up his forces. A deception that worked perfectly for him."

Eternal Vigilace then hovered to Yen Sid's left and spoke as the central hologram reverted back to the galactic map. The orange of the Forerunners and blue of the humans were familiar to the group, but in between the two sections, an area of purple began rapidly expanding and encompassing the map. "About one hundred years after the discovery of the Heartless, the Flood were finally exterminated after having at the time mysteriously and rapidly declining in numbers. Though little did we know, we merely traded one enemy for another. For during that time, the Heartless were consuming the Flood to build up there own numbers until that day when Xehanort unleashed them on the galaxy. Within the first twenty years, the outer colonies of both empires were overrun and incursions into the inner colonies were already being made."

Yen Sid then took over telling the tale once more. "And although we were effectively cut off from one another on the galactic scale, we were able to keep in contact through risky and time consuming slipspace jumps along the edge of dark-space. This allowed us to pool our resource together to develop a new weapon. The Keyblade."

The hologram changed into the form of a giant key with a yellow handle and a gun-metal gray body, which the group did not find impressive until Yen Sid continued speaking. "These blades granted their wielders enhanced abilities beyond any thing ever imagined, including cntrol over magical energy."

This last statement caused Lubbock to scoff in disbelief. "Oh please, there's no such thing as magic."

Yen Sid merely smirked at this as he stretched out his hand. "Aeroga."

This caused a huge gust of wind to shoot out of his hand, tossing the cocky ODST into the air and dropping him in an undignified heap, before Yen Sid continued speaking. "As I was saying, these Keyblade Masters were capable of wielding element based magical spells. These ranged from offensive, including fire, lightning, and ice, to more defensive/supportive, like Aero and Cure. And later on, these abilities were discovered in other individuals like myself. These abilities, along with the Keyblades devastating effectiveness against the Heartless, helped the Masters stem the tide long enough for our forces to rally. Unfortunately, the Heartless' sheer numbers and overwhelming variety of foes forced the conflict to a stalemate, which granted valuable time to develop a countermeasure."

Najenda lit a cigar from which she took a deep puff before adding her input. "Something tells me that didn't last long."

"Again, you are correct."

The hologram then changed to show a monitor similar to Eternal Vigilance, but instead of one lens, it possessed three red lenses in a triangular formation. Eternal Vigilance then took over speaking. "Xehanort managed to corrupt the programming of a Forerunner AI known as Mendicant Bias. As he was in charge of multiple major systems within the Forerunner Empire, this proved disastrous for us as he turned against us along with numerous other AI."

The hologram then reverted back to the star map, where the area in purple began rapidly expanding once more as Vigilance continued. "This in turn broke the stalemate in Xehanort's favor once more along the Forerunner Empire. The Human Empire soon followed as the corruption affected their AI as well."

The imaging then changed to a series of seven rings as Yen Sid then spoke. "With all other options exhausted, the best and brightest of both Human and Forerunner went towards the galaxy's edge to create the Halo array. A last ditch weapon designed to wipe out all life in the galaxy, and the Heartless along with them."

The humans in the room looked on in grim understanding, for they to faced desperate measures during the Human-Covenant War, but they remained silent as Yen Sid continued. "The plan was that once the rings were fired, the galaxy would be reseed with life and those of us that survived would rebuild with a clean slate. But Xehanort quickly caught wind of these plans, and as the rings were put into position, he launched an assault on the control center known as the Ark, and fired them prematurely."

With that, the projector shut down and the lights were restored as Yen Sid gazed somberly at the ground. "Having been on this world when it happened, I...was the only one to survive. Although the reseeding proceeded as planned, I can confirm that not only has Xehanort survived and changed his name to Xemnas, he has amassed a following that call themselves Organization XIII. And they have renewed their attacks on the galaxy."

The young ODST known as Tatsumi suddenly bolted up and proclaimed with confidence. "Then we'll just have to beat them back to whatever rock they came from!"

The rest of the squad gave a resounding 'Ooh-Rah!' at that statement as Samantha gave her opinion on it. "Settle down there kid, we have no idea what we're up against. And even if we did, where do we even start?"

"I believe that's where we come in."

Everyone turned to the source of this new voice to find two men long thought dead. On one side, clad in the garb of a UNSC Army Officer was General Victor Hoffman. And on the other, clad in the uniform of a naval officer was Vice Admiral Preston Cole.

The Spartans were the first to overcome their shock as they quickly stood up and saluted the two officers, the rest of them quickly following suit. General Hoffman gave a dismissive wave as he spoke. "At ease people, we're here to speak with the Spartans, the rest of you can head to the mess hall ten floors down and get some grub."

Not needing to be told twice, the ODSTs and Marines quickly vacated the room, leaving the Spartans alone as Samantha voiced a question. "What is it you wish to speak about sir?"

"We just need to finalize a few things like your new deployments before all head on out."

Before they could do so, however, Eternal Vigilance hovered in between the two Spartans. "Before you leave, I must inquire. Are these augmentations that you possess standard for Spartans?"

Logan was the one to answer. "Yes, they are standard amongst all generations of Spartans."

"Oh good. I merely asked because I had discovered through passive scans that the two of you possess the genetic coding required to harness magical energy, most likely due to the augmentations. Although the genome will have to be awoken manually so Samantha will have to follow me to the medical chambers. As for you Logan, obtaining the Keyblade may have already awoken it for you, but I am not entirely certain. Try casting a low-tier spell like Fire."

Complying with this request, Logan stretched out his hand, and after a few moments of intense concentration, a ball of fire formed in his palm, much to Vigilance's approval. "Wonderful! This means you can head directly to the training simulator. You re-fitted armor will be waiting for you there."

The Vice Admiral, who was now alone after the General departed, then called to the Spartan. "Come along then son, we'll over things along the way."

With that, the two Spartans bid each other farewell before going their separate ways, one following the monitor, while the other joined the Vice Admiral as they began the trek.

Cole was quick to begin speaking. "So before anything else, I need to know, how's the war with the Covenant going?"

"Well sir, the war's been over for the past four years and the Covenant as a whole, are broken."

"Well shit, that's the best damn news I've heard in my life. At least humanity won't have to worry about two factions of self-righteous bastards knocking down our front door."

"But we'll still have the one."

"I always look at the bright side son, you should start doing the same. Regardless, we can't just sit around and let them come to us, which is where you'll come in."

"What would you have me do sir?"

"You'll be put in command of a mobile expeditionary force created to put pressure on the enemy and counter them anytime and anywhere. You'll be granted full operational independence with your only order being to give them hell. To finalize this, I hereby promote you to the rank of Commander. Congrats son."

This caught Logan completely by surprise as he took a few moments to process this development before voicing his opinion on the matter. "With all due respect sir, there's got to be others far more qualified than me."

Preston Cole sighed at this statement before he spoke. "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't hand this promotion out to someone I know next to nothing about. But Yen Sid has given his approval for this, and he has more experience in these matters than I do, so I trust his judgment. Besides, my gut tells me that you're a good choice for this regardless, and it's never been wrong before."

"I understand sir. But what will you do if you don't mind me asking, sir?"

"Myself and General Hoffman will be taking the bulk of the fleet we now have here and returning to UNSC-controlled space. We'll be warning them of the impending threat while we still can. Teh good General has already gone down to finalize preparations."

As the Vice Admiral finished speaking, the two arrived at a massive door that opened up to reveal a large cavern lit by white lights that lined the walls in symmetrical patterns. Blue luminescent lights stretched side by side, illuminating a path outwards towards the jungles they originally landed in. And standing in the center of the room were Logan's and Samatha's MJOLNIR armor suits, glistening as if unblemished by battle.

"It appears we have arrived. Take care of yourself son." With that, the Vice Admiral offered a handshake which the Spartan accepted. He then took his leave, leaving Logan alone as he went to examine his armor. A gentle hand brushed against the golden visor of his armor as he admired the shine, but he was grateful that the runes he inscribed remained untouched. After all, you don't fuck with a Scandinavian man's lineage. His admiration was soon interrupted as the door opened once more to reveal Samantha making her way towards her own navy-blue armor, Eternal Vigilance soon following. "Ah, good. You made it. Now that everything is in order, you can equip yourselves and we can begin. Just stand on the designated platforms for armor assembly."

Two sections of the floor were then highlighted in blue, where the Spartans then stood and soon found themselves hovering above the ground as their armor suddenly dissassbled and latched onto their bodies. When their helmets were secured with a pressurized hiss, they were finally lowered to the ground as their HUDs came to life. They remained unchanged save for a single purple bar that now rested underneath the blue shield gauge. "Are their any questions before we begin?"

Logan was the one to make an inquiry. "I got one. What's with the runway? Are we flying out of here?"

"As a matter of fact, yew. Each of your suits now have built-in flight systems that connect to their reactors, granting you indefinite flight capabilities. But first, you two should get a weapon for this trial run."

At this, a rack of UNSC weapons suddenly rose from the floor, from which Samantha obtained a BR33 battle rifle, while Logan retrieved a MA5C-ICWS assault rifle.

Once they were in position once more, their weapons attached to the mag strips on their backs, their suits thrusters engaged, the exhaust from the ports on their backs propelling them forward and out into the open air. The air that rushed against their helmets filled the Spartans with exhilaration as they soared over the rainforest canopy that zoomed by like a carpet of green, though it was not long before Vigilance patched through. "Flight systems are working well, let's work on combat systems. Some repurposed security sentinels should be sufficient targets."

Without warning, a section of the mountain the castle rested on opened up and from it, multiple drones of blocky shape and silver color with golden lenses began coming out. A trio of them fired golden lances of pure energy that arced through the air and hit their air-born targets as they turned back around to face them, draining their shields by half. As their shields recharged, the two Spartans drew their long ranged weapons and returned fire, downing two sentinels in a hail of bullets before Vigilance patched in once more. "Remember, you can utilize your magical abilities when in combat which can be kept track of through the purple gauge on your HUD. I'm also sending you data on magic types since it slipped my mind before. I apologize for that."

After rolling her eyes in annoyance and quickly skimming through the data, she summoned a Thundaga against a handful of sentinels, causing a massive barrage of lightning to come from the sky and destroy them with a resounding boom. "Niesamowity! I could get used to this."

Logan soon responded. "Keep your head in the game, Samantha."

With that, he gunned for the nearest sentinel and drew his axe, pouring Thunder magic into the blade as he closed the distance. Then, with a mighty roar, he swung the axe into the unfortunate sentinel, the lightning short-circuiting its systems before the blade cleaved it in two. Then, as the two halves exploded behind him, he loaded another clip into the rifle and poured gravity magic into the round. When he opened fire, the added mass let the hail of bullets tear through the remaining sentinels like tissue paper.

Meanwhile, Samantha took to a similar approach, synthesizing her battle rifle's rounds wire fire magic. Then, with each round she fired, they impacted sentinel after sentinel with the destructive force of artillery shells. This continued for but mere moments as the last of the sentinels were destroyed. When all was said and done the two Spartans hovered in place, taking a few minutes to breath and admire their handiwork as Vigilance patched in once more. "A marvelous demonstration I must say. Weapons Synthesis is a skill that normally takes at least weeks to master, yet you have done so in mere minutes. If you two are representative of Spartans, then I look forward to working with any and all you might bring in. The trial run is complete, you may return to the castle."

Not needing to be told twice, the two Spartans began to fly back to the building in question, intent on getting some food before the ODSTs eat it all.

**And there we have it, we'll get to the action come next chapter.**

**In regards to the next chapters of Doom of the Ring and RWBY 40k: Space Marine, they are currently undergoing Beta reviews and will soon be done.**

**Don't forget to leave a review.**


End file.
